Alas Pilipinas Girls secured their second consecutive victory after fending off Malaysia in four sets, 25-20, 27-29, 25-22, 25-18, in the 22nd Princess Cup Southeast Asian Under-18 Women’s Volleyball Championship on Sunday at the Nakhon Pathom Gymnasium in Thailand.
Coming off a dominant performance against Singapore yesterday, the Philippines used a strong 8-3 finishing kick, including four straight points, in the fourth set against the Malaysians to move to 2-0 in the six-team tournament.
Lianne Penuliar, Jaila Adrao, Akeyla Bartolabac, and Harlyn Serneche joined forces in the game-winning fourth-set run that saw them pull away and turn a 17-15 advantage into a 25-18 win.
Ahead by just two points in the opening frame, the Philippines leaned on a 5-1 run led by Serneche, which turned a slim 17-15 advantage into a 22-16 lead.
Alas never relinquished its lead as Denesse Daylisan and Avril Bron halted the Malaysians’ 5-1 rally by putting on the finishing touches to give their side a 1-0 set advantage.
It was a tight affair in the second set, with Malaysia eventually building a 23-20 cushion off an Ee Ling cross-court attack. The Akari-backed Philippines managed to fight back, going on a 4-1 run to send the game to a deuce.
However, Alas failed to sustain its momentum in the extension. Eunice Tian Ye took over for the Malaysians, hammering down an off-speed attack to break a 27-all tie and delivering a booming ace to tie the game at 1-all.
The Philippines averted a collapse in the third set after yielding a 17-10 and 21-17 advantage over Malaysia to move a set away from winning the game.
Kimberly Rubin and Penuliar joined forces, scoring two points each in a 4-1 run to break a 21-all tie and take a 25-22 win.
Alas Pilipinas will look to continue their winning streak against Thailand tomorrow, Monday, at 5:30 PM (Manila time).
